{
  "$schema": "https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/schemas/article-v1.json",
  "schemaVersion": "1.0.0",
  "id": "stablecoin-wrong-network",
  "canonical": "https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/stablecoin-wrong-network/",
  "collection": "stablecoins",
  "title": "Sent a stablecoin on the wrong network: what to check",
  "description": "Understand why the same-looking address does not guarantee a stablecoin deposit is supported on another network and what evidence is needed to assess recovery.",
  "aliases": [],
  "dates": {
    "published": "2026-10-02",
    "modified": "2026-10-02",
    "verified": "2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z",
    "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02"
  },
  "authorship": {
    "publisher": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project",
    "process": "AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied."
  },
  "quickAnswer": {
    "text": "A stablecoin sent on the wrong network is recorded on the network actually used. Switching a wallet’s display does not move it to the intended chain. Recovery depends on who controls the destination, whether the token and network are supported, and whether a valid authorized recovery path exists; it is not guaranteed.",
    "claimId": "stablecoin-wrong-network-quick-answer",
    "sourceIds": [
      "eth-accounts",
      "eth-jsonrpc",
      "circle-addresses",
      "circle-terms"
    ]
  },
  "keyFacts": [
    {
      "label": "Ledger",
      "value": "Balances and transaction histories are chain-specific.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "eth-jsonrpc"
      ],
      "id": "ledger",
      "claimId": "stablecoin-wrong-network-fact-ledger"
    },
    {
      "label": "Deployment",
      "value": "A stablecoin can have different official contracts on different networks.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "circle-addresses"
      ],
      "id": "deployment",
      "claimId": "stablecoin-wrong-network-fact-deployment"
    },
    {
      "label": "Authority",
      "value": "Moving an asset requires the destination’s actual spending authorization.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "eth-accounts"
      ],
      "id": "authority",
      "claimId": "stablecoin-wrong-network-fact-authority"
    }
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
    "ethereum-chain-id"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "establish",
      "heading": "Find the transaction on the chain used",
      "sourceIds": [
        "eth-jsonrpc",
        "circle-addresses"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Record the transaction hash, chain, destination and token contract. Confirm that a transfer actually succeeded before describing it as a recovery case.",
        "A missing balance in one wallet view can be a display issue, an unsupported asset or an actual transfer to an uncontrolled destination. Those situations require different evidence."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "control",
      "heading": "Distinguish self-custody from a service deposit",
      "sourceIds": [
        "eth-accounts",
        "circle-terms"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "If the same signing authority controls the destination on the relevant network, a supported wallet may be able to interact with the asset there. Contract accounts and custodial deposit addresses require additional care; their behavior and deployment can differ by chain.",
        "For a service-controlled deposit, only that service can assess its systems and available recovery process. Possessing the transaction hash does not give the sender authority to move the received tokens."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bridge",
      "heading": "A later bridge is a separate transaction",
      "sourceIds": [
        "circle-cctp"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "If the asset is accessible, moving it to another chain requires a supported transfer mechanism with its own fees and dependencies. Selecting another network in the interface is not that mechanism.",
        "Do not give a recovery service a seed phrase or assume that every claimed bridge supports the exact token variant. Establish the actual route first."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Will an address checksum prevent a wrong-network transfer?",
      "answer": "An EIP-55 checksum checks address formatting, not which network the recipient or service supports. The same address bytes can be displayed on several compatible chains.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "eip55",
        "eip155"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": "stablecoin-wrong-network-quick-answer",
      "articleSlug": "stablecoin-wrong-network",
      "statement": "A stablecoin sent on the wrong network is recorded on the network actually used. Switching a wallet’s display does not move it to the intended chain. Recovery depends on who controls the destination, whether the token and network are supported, and whether a valid authorized recovery path exists; it is not guaranteed.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-2fb64d6fc5cedb00",
        "source-a5154b4118a3d15f",
        "source-66270bffe3272787",
        "source-3f274c8c1e62ebb9"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-2fb64d6fc5cedb00",
          "locator": "Account types; An account examined; Account creation"
        },
        {
          "sourceId": "source-a5154b4118a3d15f",
          "locator": "eth_getTransactionByHash; eth_getTransactionReceipt; eth_call; eth_getLogs; eth_getCode; eth_estimateGas; eth_getBalance; eth_getStorageAt; eth_getTransactionCount; default block parameter"
        },
        {
          "sourceId": "source-66270bffe3272787",
          "locator": "Mainnet; Testnet"
        },
        {
          "sourceId": "source-3f274c8c1e62ebb9",
          "locator": "Sections 1–4, 8, 13, 15–17"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Checked chain-bound RPC lookup fields, EOA versus contract authority and Circle deployment/support warnings. A display switch is not an interchain asset movement, and a sender hash supplies no recipient spending authority.",
          "EIP-55 hashes address text without a chain discriminator; EIP-155 concerns transaction replay domains. CCTP provides a concrete separate cross-chain operation rather than guaranteed recovery."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "stablecoin-wrong-network-fact-ledger",
      "articleSlug": "stablecoin-wrong-network",
      "statement": "Ledger: Balances and transaction histories are chain-specific.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-a5154b4118a3d15f"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-a5154b4118a3d15f",
          "locator": "eth_getTransactionByHash; eth_getTransactionReceipt; eth_call; eth_getLogs; eth_getCode; eth_estimateGas; eth_getBalance; eth_getStorageAt; eth_getTransactionCount; default block parameter"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Checked chain-bound RPC lookup fields, EOA versus contract authority and Circle deployment/support warnings. A display switch is not an interchain asset movement, and a sender hash supplies no recipient spending authority.",
          "EIP-55 hashes address text without a chain discriminator; EIP-155 concerns transaction replay domains. CCTP provides a concrete separate cross-chain operation rather than guaranteed recovery."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "stablecoin-wrong-network-fact-deployment",
      "articleSlug": "stablecoin-wrong-network",
      "statement": "Deployment: A stablecoin can have different official contracts on different networks.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-66270bffe3272787"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-66270bffe3272787",
          "locator": "Mainnet; Testnet"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Checked chain-bound RPC lookup fields, EOA versus contract authority and Circle deployment/support warnings. A display switch is not an interchain asset movement, and a sender hash supplies no recipient spending authority.",
          "EIP-55 hashes address text without a chain discriminator; EIP-155 concerns transaction replay domains. CCTP provides a concrete separate cross-chain operation rather than guaranteed recovery."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "stablecoin-wrong-network-fact-authority",
      "articleSlug": "stablecoin-wrong-network",
      "statement": "Authority: Moving an asset requires the destination’s actual spending authorization.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-2fb64d6fc5cedb00"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-2fb64d6fc5cedb00",
          "locator": "Account types; An account examined; Account creation"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Checked chain-bound RPC lookup fields, EOA versus contract authority and Circle deployment/support warnings. A display switch is not an interchain asset movement, and a sender hash supplies no recipient spending authority.",
          "EIP-55 hashes address text without a chain discriminator; EIP-155 concerns transaction replay domains. CCTP provides a concrete separate cross-chain operation rather than guaranteed recovery."
        ]
      }
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "eth-accounts",
      "label": "Ethereum accounts",
      "publisher": "ethereum.org contributors",
      "url": "https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/accounts/",
      "locator": "Account types; An account examined; Account creation",
      "note": "Key-controlled and code-controlled accounts, balances, nonces and storage.",
      "version": null,
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T17:03:41.958Z",
      "contentSha256": "262a5694899ae6f774aacae66b13d6929b658ecc9e23c276af9e23ee9455f034",
      "recordId": "source-2fb64d6fc5cedb00"
    },
    {
      "id": "eth-jsonrpc",
      "label": "Ethereum JSON-RPC",
      "publisher": "ethereum.org contributors",
      "url": "https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/apis/json-rpc/",
      "locator": "eth_getTransactionByHash; eth_getTransactionReceipt; eth_call; eth_getLogs; eth_getCode; eth_estimateGas; eth_getBalance; eth_getStorageAt; eth_getTransactionCount; default block parameter",
      "note": "RPC response fields, transaction receipts, call simulation and log filtering.",
      "version": null,
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T17:03:42.060Z",
      "contentSha256": "ed13997ec4f415dff80883add0730d4e64bcc8c17b95dd4f6c27aed0241a4073",
      "recordId": "source-a5154b4118a3d15f"
    },
    {
      "id": "circle-addresses",
      "label": "USDC Contract Addresses",
      "publisher": "Circle",
      "url": "https://developers.circle.com/stablecoins/usdc-contract-addresses",
      "locator": "Mainnet; Testnet",
      "note": "Network-specific canonical contract identifiers and the distinction from test deployments.",
      "version": null,
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T17:03:43.107Z",
      "contentSha256": "73d8de1421327e146682c40015da9d6268ef52d5e902a7ec4619d9bbcdce51de",
      "recordId": "source-66270bffe3272787"
    },
    {
      "id": "circle-terms",
      "label": "USDC Terms",
      "publisher": "Circle",
      "url": "https://www.circle.com/legal/usdc-terms",
      "locator": "Sections 1–4, 8, 13, 15–17",
      "note": "Non-EEA USDC holder terms, eligibility, redemption and restrictions; not an unconditional promise to every holder.",
      "version": null,
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T17:03:43.080Z",
      "contentSha256": "f3fdef0515875c8fa6359a1303c76e72f78fb396fb2bd09d213f9bd65f055f75",
      "recordId": "source-3f274c8c1e62ebb9"
    },
    {
      "id": "circle-cctp",
      "label": "CCTP overview",
      "publisher": "Circle",
      "url": "https://developers.circle.com/cctp",
      "locator": "How CCTP works; Burn and mint",
      "note": "Native USDC transfer uses source-chain burning, Circle attestation and destination minting.",
      "version": null,
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T17:03:43.290Z",
      "contentSha256": "ab45090f55aafa96273be8fcce4d22746c3a1e2a3742749c04126b106ef560c9",
      "recordId": "source-c7e6dd4bc23e4413"
    },
    {
      "id": "eip55",
      "label": "Mixed-case checksum address encoding",
      "publisher": "Ethereum Improvement Proposals",
      "url": "https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-55",
      "locator": "Specification; Rationale; Test Cases",
      "note": "Capitalization encodes a checksum without changing the address bytes.",
      "version": "EIP/ERC-55; retrieved document hash recorded",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T17:03:42.205Z",
      "contentSha256": "c204b03e6e2b392c88a5271d5ff20d3a42d2105abd52459e95bd3a4736e49768",
      "recordId": "source-c93ab64d58d43e2d"
    },
    {
      "id": "eip155",
      "label": "Simple replay attack protection",
      "publisher": "Ethereum Improvement Proposals",
      "url": "https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-155",
      "locator": "Specification",
      "note": "Transaction chain ID domain separation; not blanket protection for all signatures.",
      "version": "EIP/ERC-155; retrieved document hash recorded",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T17:03:42.312Z",
      "contentSha256": "d2ee74d5b9d5230e5871645148c0978b10463b039a25d2ba753d3a8d6350c8c0",
      "recordId": "source-1975773eb9dbad9f"
    }
  ],
  "related": {
    "articles": [
      "stablecoin-contract-addresses",
      "circle-cctp",
      "native-bridged-wrapped-stablecoins"
    ],
    "dossiers": [],
    "wallets": []
  },
  "revisionHistory": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-02",
      "kind": "published",
      "summary": "First publication after primary-source research and independent automated verification."
    }
  ],
  "citation": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “Sent a stablecoin on the wrong network: what to check.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/stablecoin-wrong-network/"
}